Variable Speed Limits M1 Northbound Tibshelf Saturday 4th Feb 18:35pm
Dear Highways England Company Limited,
Can you tell me why the above were set to 40mph on the above date at 18:35 please?
This is a 4 lane carriageway in whch there was a lorry stranded off the nearside lane. This lane was closed and marked so with a red cross, the traffic officer was in attendance and had coned off the nearside lane, the traffic was light and all vehicles had moved the the remaining 3 lanes posing little or no danger. The limits were set at 40mph which I feel was an excessve safety precaution as most of the M1 southbound between 19 and 17 is only reduced to 50mph, has narrow lanes and a pedestrian workforce to be aware of.
Also please supply calibration certificates for these cameras.
Yours faithfully,
Steven Power
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Dear Mr Power,
Thank you for your Freedom of Information request to Highways England on 27 February 2017 regarding variable speed limits on the M1 Northbound.
In the situation you describe our Traffic Officers have established emergency traffic management, supported by overhead signs and signals. Emergency traffic management consists of a minimal amount of cones and very basic signage warning drivers of the obstruction in the lane, in this case the Traffic Officer vehicle behind the stranded lorry. As the cones provide no physical protection to the individuals at the scene, it is appropriate to reduce the speed of other vehicles to increase the time for drivers to react to the lane closure and reduce the likelihood and severity of any potential secondary incident. In this situation a Red X is displayed advising drivers that the lane is closed and it is our policy to implement a 40mph speed limit alongside this lane closure signal, for the reasons mentioned.
In the M1 situation you cite, this is a roadworks scenario under full traffic management with the necessary advanced signage to advise drivers of the upcoming roadworks. It also includes temporary barrier between traffic and the works areas, protecting the workforce from errant vehicles, which was obviously not present in the incident you highlight on the M1 near Tibshelf. This is the reason why a higher speed limit of 50mph was present in this scenario.
If you are unhappy with the way we have handled your request you may ask for an internal review. Our internal review process is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
If you require a print copy, please phone the Information Line on 0300 123 5000; or e-mail [Highways England request email]. You should contact me if you wish to complain.
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
If you have any queries about this response, please contact [email address] quoting FOI reference number 749,038.
Yours sincerely
Matthew Lomas
Professional & Technical Solutions
Highways England | Woodlands | Manton Lane | Bedford | MK41 7LW
Tel: +44 (0) 300 470-4905
Web: http://www.highways.gov.uk
Dear PTS Official Correspondence,
Thank you for your response, I accept that the cones do not provide protection for the Traffic officer hence the reason that the closed lane cross signage was displayed at least 2 miles prior to the incident which gave all cars more than enough time to move across into the remaining lanes and avoid the incident (which was only partially on the highway anyway). What you have to remember is that the majority of drivers are not stupid and know how the follow instructions and move across lanes when required and to travel at a reasonable speed.
Along with this, I travel on the M42 quite a lot and they have had variable speed signage there for over 10 years, with many a time when lanes have been closed and the speed has ranged from 40-60mph through those, so please explain the difference.
The problem I have and I am sure many drivers will also feel this frustration, is all of the false alarms we get. Half the time there is either; no incident, no pedestrians in the road, no abandoned vehicle, no spray and no real reason to slow down etc. which obviously leads to disbelief when approaching your signs.
The final part is that you still have not provided the calibration certificates for the cameras so I look forward to receiving those.
Yours sincerely,
Steven Power
Dear Mr Power
Thank you for your email below dated 28 March 2017, asking for further
information. I would like to apologies for the long delay to your reply.
We have asked a number of our specialists to provide you with this
information. I hope this response answers the number of questions you have
raised.
Along with this, I travel on the M42 quite a lot and they have had
variable speed signage there for over 10 years, with many a time when
lanes have been closed and the speed has ranged from 40-60mph through
those, so please explain the difference.
On the M42 and other dynamic hard shoulders, when we are preparing to
open the hard shoulder, a Red X is displayed above the hard shoulder and
initially 60mph above all other lanes. Otherwise when a lane is closed
due to incident or obstruction, then a 40mph speed limit is displayed
adjacent to the Red X. Lane divert arrows adjacent to either a 50mph
limit or 60mph limit is displayed in advance of the Red X.
The problem I have and I am sure many drivers will also feel this
frustration, is all of the false alarms we get. Half the time there is
either; no incident, no pedestrians in the road, no abandoned vehicle, no
spray and no real reason to slow down etc. which obviously leads to
disbelief when approaching your signs.
Variable speed limits will often be triggered when congestion is starting
to build up ahead, or when the volume of traffic has reached a point where
this is about to happen. If the problem is successfully cleared, drivers
may not see what caused the speed restriction, although where possible we
use the electronic signing to explain this. The system is designed to
ensure that any restrictions are lifted as soon as they are no longer
needed.
Reduced speed limits are also used to protect stationary vehicles or
incident scenes, by slowing down the approaching traffic. In an emergency
the overhead signals can be used to display warning messages to drivers,
close lanes to protect vehicles until assistance arrives, and provide more
information about the cause of any delay or restriction.
When we receive reports of debris or an accident from a member of the
public, we treat the report as being unconfirmed until we are able to
verify that something has actually happened and are able to correctly
locate it. During this time of verification we set signs of ‘incident’ and
reduce speeds to 50mph, and this might be along the whole length between
junctions that are reported to us.
Once we have checked the stretch of road by CCTV or a Traffic Officer
patrol, we update the signals so that warnings are only shown at the
location of the incident, or if we find no evidence of the reported hazard
they are removed altogether. In this case, some drivers will have seen
signs without encountering a hazard, however we have a duty to take the
necessary safety precautions and alert drivers to the potential danger
based on the information we have at the time. On sections of motorway with
variable speed limits (including smart motorways) these unconfirmed
incident warnings are accompanied by a reduced speed limit, but we are
currently reviewing the policy to see whether this is still needed.
The final part is that you still have not provided the calibration
certificates for the cameras so I look forward to receiving those.
Unfortunately, we do not hold information on calibration certificates for
cameras.
However to acquire calibration certificates for cameras, you will need to
contact the police which the route falls under. As you have stated in
your original correspondence the M1 Northbound Tibshelf, this currently is
situated within Derbyshire constabulary & Nottinghamshire Police.
You will need to contact them to acquire the appropriate calibration
certificates.
My apologies again for the delayed response.
If you are unhappy with the way we have handled your request you may ask
for an internal review. Our internal review process is available at:
[1]https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
If you require a print copy, please phone the Information Line on 0300 123
5000; or e-mail [2][Highways England request email]. You should contact me if
you wish to complain.
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
If you have any queries about this response, please contact me quoting FOI
reference number 749,038.
Yours sincerely
Matthew
Matthew Lomas
Safety, Engineering and Standards
Highways England | Woodlands | Manton Lane | Bedford | MK41 7LW
Tel: +44 (0) 300 470-4905
Web: [3]http://www.highways.gov.uk
Matthew,
I have now been fined £361.00 and have 3 points for this incident and I am yet to receive a satisfactory response from you regarding the above correspondence.
I still believe that the speed restriction to 40mph was unnessecary and I would like to see a record of the conversation where the traffic officer in particular requested a 40mph restriction OR where the decision was made including the experience of said person who made it and length of time in their position etc.
I cannot believe that this cautionary restriction was warranted and that travelling at 47mph as I was, posed any danger to the officer or driver of that vehicle with me being in lane 3.
If you look at the CCTV images then you will see the broken down vehicle and lorry were located halfway between the verge and the hard shoulder and not even on the nearside lane, leaving 4 lanes of motorway clear.
As you will understand, this has caused no end of stress and frustration to me so I would now like an official statement from you giving the exact circumstances and reasoning behind your decision in this instance as I wish to appeal this in court.
Yours sincerely,
Steven Power
Steven Power
Dear Mr Power,
Thank you for your request for an official statement explaining the
decision to set 40mph restrictions in the circumstances that led to you
receiving the penalty you refer to.
When we set lane closure signals in smart motorway sections, our policy is
that all adjoining lanes shall automatically display 40mph restrictions.
Therefore, if lane 1 is closed then lanes 2 , 3 and 4 shall all display
the same speed of 40mph. This means that the decision which determined the
display of 40mph restrictions was the decision to close the lane.
I hope that this explanation provides you with the information that you
require but if you need anything further then you can contact us at
[1][Highways England request email].
Kind regards
Maria Omoigui,
Midlands Regional Enforcement Coordinator
Highways England | The Cube | 199 Wharfside Street | Birmingham | B1 1RN
Tel: +44(0)3004703271
[mobile number]
Web: [2]http://www.highways.gov.uk
This email may contain information which is confidential and is intended
only for use of the recipient/s named above. If you are not an intended
recipient, you are hereby notified that any copying, distribution,
disclosure, reliance upon or other use of the contents of this email is
strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and destroy it.
Highways England Company Limited | General enquiries: 0300 123 5000
|National Traffic Operations Centre, 3 Ridgeway, Quinton Business Park,
Birmingham B32 1AF |
[3]https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati... |
[4][Highways England request email]
Registered in England and Wales no 9346363 | Registered Office: Bridge
House, 1 Walnut Tree Close, Guildford, Surrey GU1 4LZ
Consider the environment. Please don't print this e-mail unless you really
need to.
References
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3. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
4. mailto:[Highways England request email]
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